This is my first blog post, and I have one week left in the USA before I fly to Tanzania for the fall semester. The purpose of this blog is pretty simple: I'm going to try and tell some good stories and make them fun to read. Anything from anthropological learnings to traveler's diarrhea is fair game for the blog - though I'll use my better judgment in determining whether or not to add pictures.

My preparations are a bit of a nightmare right now. After an 8 week AmeriCorps gig in Cedar Rapids, I decided that today was the day I hit the ground running. I think I may have shattered my proverbial shins, but at least I've made a list of the things I have to do. Right now it's looking a bit like:

1. Spend a lot of money buying stuff I need that I don't have.
2. Read an ominously hefty stack of books.
3. Haggle with my pharmacist about the price of my malaria medication.

I'm on top of this - no matter what the skeptics say (i.e., my dad). I've even got a pre-departure office/cave set up in my parents' basement. It's the only way I'm going to get anything done before I go.

Anyway, this summer has gone by too fast (who knew I'd have so much fun in Iowa?!), St. Paul is looking great, and it seems like a pretty inconvenient time to leave. But procrastinators always see it that way, don't they?

The Score: Empty Suitcase 1, Ian 0.